pokoacademy
Meta deck20 lists · 18 events · 11 August 2026

Toucannon deck: the core, the flex slots, and what beats it

We took 20 lists of this deck and counted every card in every one of them. They come from 18 different tournaments, built by 20 people who never talked to each other. What all of them run is the core of the deck: 8 cards, 24 slots out of 60. The rest — 76 cards fighting over what is left — is where players disagree, and that is usually where a game is won.

Published Data updated
THE SHORT VERSION
  • 8 cards show up in all 20 lists we counted. No exceptions. That is 24 of your 60 slots. If you are building this deck, start there — nobody argues about those.
  • Your big card is Fan Rotom, 70 HP. Assault Landing hits for 70, and it costs you 1 Energy (Colorless).
  • 76 cards change from list to list. That is exactly where a good player tunes the deck for what they expect to face, and the table below tells you how many lists run each one.
  • This deck has a Weakness printed right on its cards: Lightning. 1 of the decks we track attack in exactly that type. They are listed at the bottom, with the card that does the damage.

What this deck looks like when you open the box

Across the 20 lists we counted, this deck runs 18 to 26 Pokémon, 27 to 36 Trainers and 5 to 9 Energy. Its attacks do not ask for any particular type of Energy.

Limitless files it under « toucannon-pbl », and that is the label you will see on results pages and on stream. Every card named in it turns up in the core below, which is what makes it a fair name for the deck.

The bit they tack on the end, « PBL », is a set code: Pitch Black. They spell it out because several cards share that name, and this deck plays that particular printing.

Look at the Energy count first: 5 to 9 out of 60. No single number tells you more about how a deck breathes. A lot of Energy means it wants to load up one big Pokémon and swing hard. Very little means it lives on cheap attacks and on Trainers to dig out whatever it is missing.

It takes a while to set up. Toucannon is a Stage 2 Pokémon: you put down the baby, you evolve it, and then you evolve it again. Three cards stacked before anything attacks. That is what the hardest-hitting decks cost you, and it is also where they crack — a fast opponent can bury you before the line is standing.

On the Trainer side: 8 to 13 Supporters, 12 to 22 Items, 0 to 3 Tools and 2 to 4 Stadiums. Worth saying out loud, because everyone forgets it once a tournament: you only get ONE Supporter a turn, while you can chain as many Items as you like. So a deck full of Items takes longer, louder turns than a deck full of Supporters.

What fills the 60 slots

Pokémon
18–26
Trainers
27–36
Energy
5–9
Supporters
8–13
Items
12–22
Tools
0–3
Stadiums
2–4

A range means the lists disagree with each other.

How it actually wins

Fan Rotom attacks with Assault Landing for 70, and it costs 1 Energy (Colorless). It has 70 HP to absorb the answer. Everything else in the list is built around getting that card online.

One Energy to attack is enormous. You can swing the turn after you set up, and you can do it again straight away when your attacker falls. Decks like that forgive a lot of bad draws.

Good news on mobility: Fan Rotom retreats for 1 Energy. You can pull it out of the Active spot without throwing away your turn, and that matters enormously when your opponent lands something nasty on it.

Not one ex Pokémon in the core. That is unusual, and it is a hidden advantage: every time your opponent knocks something of yours out, they take a single Prize card. Six knockouts to beat you, where a deck stuffed with ex cards can be beaten in three.

The attackers in the deck's core, with their best attack, its cost and their Weakness
PokémonHPAttackDamageCostWeaknessRetreat
Fan RotomBasic70Assault Landing70ColorlessLightning ×21
ToucannonStage 2150Feather Rondo60+ColorlessLightning ×22
TrumbeakStage 190Fly30ColorlessLightning ×21
PikipekBasic70Double Stab10×ColorlessLightning ×21

The core: the 8 cards every list runs

These 8 cards appear in all 20 lists, without a single exception. That is 24 of the 60 slots. The other 36 are decided player by player.

This is the most useful table on the page, and nobody publishes it. Everywhere else you get one list, from one player, who won one tournament. Fine — but you have no way of telling which parts of it were the deck and which parts were that person's idea on the day. Counting 20 lists settles the question by itself: what 20 people put in their deck without talking to each other IS the deck.

A word on the count column. We give you the number that comes up most often, and where the lists disagree we give you the range instead. A card sitting at "3 to 4" is one everybody plays but whose fourth copy is up for debate. That is exactly the kind of slot you reclaim when you want to fit an idea of your own.

The code next to the name — "TWM 130" and the like — is the set and the collector number, printed at the bottom of the card. We show you the printing the lists use most often, because two cards can share a name and have completely different attacks. Check that number before you buy anything.

The cards present in every list counted, with the number of copies
CopiesCardPrintingKindRotation
3–4PikipekPBL 66Pokémonstays
3–4ToucannonPBL 68Pokémonstays
1–2Fan RotomSCR 118Pokémonleaves
1–3TrumbeakPBL 67Pokémonstays
2–4Buddy-Buddy PoffinTEF 144Trainerleaves
3–4Poké PadPOR 81Trainerstays
1–4Rare CandyMEG 125Trainerstays
2–3Boss's OrdersMEG 114Trainerstays

What changes from one list to the next

76 cards show up in some lists and not in others. The percentage tells you how many lists run each one: at 50%, half the players want it and the other half deliberately chose something else.

Do not read this table as a ranking from best to worst. A card sitting at 80% is one four players in five find useful and the fifth cut on purpose, usually because they were expecting a different field. That disagreement is worth something on its own.

Here is how to use it when you build. Take the whole core first, no arguing. Then walk down this list and stop on every card you do not understand: read its text, work out what it is answering. A card you cannot explain is a card you will misplay, even if the champion had it in their list.

And if this is your first time with the deck, build the boring version — the full core plus the most common cards from here. Understand the deck before you start tinkering with it. That order is the only one that works.

The cards some lists run and others don't, most common first
Lists running itCardCopiesPrintingKind
95 %19/20Lillie's Determination1–4MEG 119Trainer
90 %18/20Night Stretcher1–2ASC 196Trainer
85 %17/20Area Zero Underdepths2–4SCR 131Trainer
80 %16/20Hoothoot2–3SCR 114Pokémon
80 %16/20Noctowl2–3SCR 115Pokémon
75 %15/20Water Energy1–2MEE 3Energy
70 %14/20Fezandipiti ex1ASC 142Pokémon
70 %14/20Dawn2–4PFL 87Trainer
60 %12/20Ultra Ball1–4MEG 131Trainer
55 %11/20Crispin1–3SCR 133Trainer
50 %10/20Kieran1–2TWM 154Trainer
50 %10/20Grass Energy2–5MEE 1Energy
45 %9/20Wellspring Mask Ogerpon ex1–2TWM 64Pokémon
45 %9/20Air Balloon1–3ASC 181Trainer
45 %9/20Special Red Card1CRI 82Trainer
40 %8/20Fighting Energy1–6MEE 6Energy
40 %8/20Psychic Energy1–2MEE 5Energy
35 %7/20Cornerstone Mask Ogerpon ex1–2TWM 112Pokémon
35 %7/20Chien-Pao1SSP 56Pokémon
35 %7/20Latias ex1SSP 76Pokémon
35 %7/20Lillie's Clefairy ex1JTG 56Pokémon
35 %7/20Shaymin1DRI 10Pokémon
35 %7/20Hilda1–4WHT 84Trainer
35 %7/20Sacred Ash1–2DRI 168Trainer
35 %7/20Fire Energy1MEE 2Energy
25 %5/20Teal Mask Ogerpon ex2TWM 25Pokémon
25 %5/20Terapagos ex2–3SCR 128Pokémon
25 %5/20Meowth ex1POR 62Pokémon
25 %5/20Moltres1PFL 14Pokémon
25 %5/20Brave Bangle1WHT 80Trainer
25 %5/20Energy Search1POR 72Trainer
25 %5/20Energy Switch1MEG 115Trainer
25 %5/20Glass Trumpet1SCR 135Trainer
25 %5/20Lana's Aid1TWM 155Trainer
25 %5/20Unfair Stamp1TWM 165Trainer
25 %5/20Lightning Energy2MEE 4Energy
25 %5/20Legacy Energy1TWM 167Energy
20 %4/20Dusknoir1–2PRE 37Pokémon
20 %4/20Duskull1–2PRE 35Pokémon
20 %4/20Dusclops1PRE 36Pokémon
20 %4/20Iron Leaves ex1TEF 25Pokémon
20 %4/20Fighting Gong2–4MEG 116Trainer
20 %4/20Maximum Belt1TEF 154Trainer
20 %4/20Mist Energy3–4TEF 161Energy
15 %3/20Dudunsparce2–3TEF 129Pokémon
15 %3/20Dunsparce3–4JTG 120Pokémon
15 %3/20Tatsugiri1TWM 131Pokémon
10 %2/20Koraidon ex1ASC 121Pokémon
10 %2/20Togekiss1SSP 72Pokémon
10 %2/20Togepi1SSP 70Pokémon
10 %2/20Battle Cage2–4PFL 85Trainer
10 %2/20Pokégear 3.01–3SVI 186Trainer
10 %2/20Judge1POR 76Trainer
10 %2/20Prime Catcher1TEF 157Trainer
10 %2/20Tera Orb1SSP 189Trainer
10 %2/20Spiky Energy4JTG 159Energy
10 %2/20Enriching Energy1SSP 191Energy
5 %1/20Buneary3PFL 83Pokémon
5 %1/20Drakloak2TWM 129Pokémon
5 %1/20Dreepy2TWM 128Pokémon
5 %1/20Mega Lopunny ex2PFL 84Pokémon
5 %1/20Chi-Yu1TWM 39Pokémon
5 %1/20Patrat1CRI 70Pokémon
5 %1/20Psyduck1ASC 39Pokémon
5 %1/20Crushing Hammer4POR 71Trainer
5 %1/20Nighttime Mine3ASC 197Trainer
5 %1/20Wally's Compassion3MEG 132Trainer
5 %1/20Dusk Ball2SSP 175Trainer
5 %1/20Handheld Fan2TWM 150Trainer
5 %1/20Switch2MEG 130Trainer
5 %1/20Black Belt's Training1JTG 143Trainer
5 %1/20Colress's Tenacity1SFA 57Trainer
5 %1/20Deluxe Bomb1SCR 134Trainer
5 %1/20Sparkling Crystal1SCR 142Trainer
5 %1/20Xerosic's Machinations1SFA 64Trainer
5 %1/20Prism Energy1ASC 216Energy

What it costs to build, and how long it will last

You need 84 different cards to cover every version of this deck, 8 of which nobody argues about. We do not have card prices, so we are not going to put a number on it.

What we can tell you is where the money goes. No ex Pokémon in the core at all, which is very good news for your wallet: the expensive cards in a deck are almost always the ex ones. This deck runs no ACE SPEC card at all.

Now the question nobody asks you before you pay: how long will this deck stay legal? Of the 8 core cards, 2 carry the letter H in the bottom-left corner. That is the oldest letter still allowed in tournaments, which makes it the one that goes at the next rotation. Those 2 cards have an expiry date. We do not know what that date is — the publisher announces it and it appears in no card data — but we do know exactly which cards leave.

One last piece of old-player advice. Never build a deck card by card starting with the prettiest one. Start with the core Trainers: they are cheap, they carry over into other decks, and they are what makes the machine run. Buy the expensive Pokémon last, once you know you actually enjoy the deck.

What this deck struggles against

The attackers in this deck are Weak to Lightning. A card with a Weakness takes DOUBLE damage from an attacker of that type. Of the decks we track, 1 attack in exactly that type.

Here is how the table below is built. The Weakness is printed on your cards, the type of the attacker across the table is printed on theirs, and the fact that this particular deck really does play that attacker is counted off its own lists. You can check every line of it with the cards in your hand.

One limit, while we are here. Weakness alone does not decide a match. A deck can double your damage and still lose because it sets up too slowly, or crush you without ever touching your Weakness. This table tells you where to look first. What settles the game sits further along.

Going the other way, none of the decks we track have an attacker Weak to your types. So you are not going to win trades on Weakness — you will have to win them on raw damage.

They double the damage they put on you

Harvested decks that attack into this deck's Weakness, and those whose Weakness this deck hits
DeckTheir cardType
Mega Manectric ex / EelektrikMega Manectric exLightning

You double the damage you put on them

Nobody, for now.

Questions people ask

What is the Toucannon deck list?
There isn't one, and that is the whole point. Across 20 tournament lists harvested on 11 August 2026, 8 cards turn up in every single one — 24 slots out of 60. The remaining 36 change from player to player, with 76 different cards competing for them. Both tables are above.
How many lists is this counted on, and where do they come from?
20 lists, played across 18 different tournaments, harvested on 11 August 2026 from play.limitlesstcg.com. Every one of them was read card by card, and every card was recognised.
Where do I start if I want to build this deck?
With the whole core: 8 cards, 24 slots. Inside that core, buy the Trainers and Energy first — they are cheap and they carry over into other decks — and leave the Pokémon for last. Only then work down the flex table and add the cards the most lists agree on.
What beats this deck?
Its attackers are Weak to Lightning, so they take double damage from an attacker of that type. Of the decks we track, 1 play an attacker of that type: Mega Manectric ex / Eelektrik. One caveat. Weakness tells you where to look first. What settles the game sits further along.
Will this deck survive the next rotation?
Not intact. 2 of the 8 core cards carry the letter H in the bottom-left corner — the oldest letter still legal, and therefore the one that goes. We do not know the date of that rotation: the publisher announces it and it appears in no card data. We do know which cards leave, and they are marked in the core table.
Are these numbers current?
The lists were harvested on 11 August 2026, and the harvest runs every night. Every new list joins the count, so the percentages on this page move on their own as the format moves. When a card crosses over from the flex table into the core, that is the players moving first and the count following them.

Where all of this comes from

The 20 lists come from play.limitlesstcg.com, which publishes the decks played at official tournaments. They were harvested on 11 August 2026 across 18 different events, then read card by card against poko's own card catalogue (built from the public TCGdex API) to recover what each card actually does. Card prices appear nowhere on this page: we do not have them, and nothing here links to a shop.

NOW YOUR OWN GAME

You've just read a page about the game. We can do far more with one match.

Everything above is about the game in general. The thing we're really good at is one single match: yours. When a game ends, Pokémon TCG Live leaves you a log — the written record of everything that happened, turn by turn. Paste it here and we'll replay each of your decisions hundreds of times, then tell you which one actually cost you the game.

Paste your game

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READ THIS NEXT

These pages are about the same corner of the game. If you came away from this one still wondering about something, start with one of them.

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